The buzzing of their furious wings announced their arrival. Every which way you looked, there were locusts. The sky was darkened by the relentless cloud of insects, only broken by tiny eyes of light like shining star dust. But the approaching locusts were not feared, as it seems they should be. The people of Umuofia prayed to their gods that the locusts would choose their village to camp, for the coming of locusts meant a coming season of prosperity and a cease of hunger.
Eventually, the locusts settled. Locusts were a rare and delightful treat, and the entire village was electrified. An entire day was used for the preparation and the eating of the insects. But the joy for one man was cut short. A man by the name of Okonkwo was in his obi, eating happily with his son, Nwoye, and his foster son, Ikemefuna.
Eventually, the locusts settled. Locusts were a rare and delightful treat, and the entire village was electrified. An entire day was used for the preparation and the eating of the insects. But the joy for one man was cut short. A man by the name of Okonkwo was in his obi, eating happily with his son, Nwoye, and his foster son, Ikemefuna.
Okonkwo was called aside by one of the elders of the tribe. Soft words were spoken, “Umuofia has decided to kill him. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there. But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you his father.” The “him” spoken of was in reference to the son that Okonkwo has always wished for, the boy named Ikemefuna.
The village of Umuofia was home to a great many warriors and wrestlers. The strongest among them was Okonkwo. He had fought relentlessly in battles taken on by his clan. He was known for the heads that he had taken in battle. A prosperous man, he had taken three wives and had borne multiple children. In Umuofia, success meant to be a man like Okonkwo. Because of the greatness held by Okonkwo, he was given the task of watching over a boy taken from another village. Ikemefuna was the taken child. He and a virgin girl were taken as retribution for a crime committed to Umuofia. Ikemefuna became the son that Okonkwo always wished he had. But little did Okonkwo know, the son that he had fostered would become a key in his ultimate downfall. With the order of the gods of Umuofia, Okonkwo set out with a group of warriors and his boy, Ikemefuna. From far away, you could see a small, dismal troupe of men were trudging up the side of a mountain, making their way to the top. Suddenly, the front of the pack of men turned and faced a young man. A cry rang out, “My father, they have killed me!” With the mean, metallic glint of a machete, the boy crumpled to the ground. This boy, Ikemefuna, had been killed by Okonkwo. |
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